Method of operating blast-furnaces and converters.



J. GAYLEY.

METHOD .0F .OPERATNG BLAST FURNACES AND CONVERTEES.

APPLIGATION FILED MAY 13, 1909.

Patented. Sept. 28, i909..

INVENT' Q WITNESSES JAMES GAYLEY, OF'NEW YORK, N. Y.

METHOD F OPERATING BLAST-FURNACES AND GONVERTERS.

` Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Sept. 2S, 1909.-

Applicatioii filed May 13, 1809. Serial No. 495,656.

To aZZ'wwm-'tt may concern:

Be itknown that I, JAMES l t GAYLEY, of the city 'of New York,

county and State of 'New 'Yorin have invented a new and m- -proved Method of Operating Blast-Furnaces and'Converters, of which the followingis a full, clear, and exact description, reference being had to the accompanying `-drawings, forming part of this specification,

.blast furnaces, converters, etc., and particuin which-Q' 1 MFigure 'l is asectional side elevation,

showing one form of apparatus for carrying.

larly to. an improved method of supplying airfthereto, with a small and substantially uniform moisture content.

Heretofore lin forcing dried air to such apparatus theair drying apparatus has been constructed and operated with the sole purposeand effect of reducing the moisture in .the air to a small and substantially7 uniform content, thus increasing the efficiency of the blast furnace or converter', and making its action more uniform and under better coi trol. Uniformity of moisture content was the, only feature sought for and obtained.

- I1 have discovered that in order to give 'uniformity of process in the blast furnace,

or converter it is of great importance that.

theair should not only have a substantially Vuniform moisture content, but should be of 4p.'

(ters. the blowing engine, in order that the substantially uniform temperature, as it enblowing engine, and consequently the blast furnace' or converter shall receive a supply of air. which is not only uniform as regards its moisture content, but also uniform as to weight. The air is, of course, measured by the blowing engine as it passes through the blowing engine; and unless thev air received by the blowing eiigine'is unifor'inin temperature the blowing engine will deiver'non-uniform weights of air, and consequently the metallurgical process will not be uniform. The blowing engine can only measure the air as to volume, while uni- Y forinity as to content of moisture, and as to weight, can only be obtained by treatment of the air before it is supplied to the blowing engine. y l

The dry blast systems which have been installed in plants previously constructed 60 were so arranged that the blowing engines were iii proximity to thel blast furnaces; while the refrigcrating apparatus or dry air plant has been placed at a considerable distance from the blowing engine, owing to its 65 size', and the filling of the space near the furnace by various other buildings appurtenant. to the furnace. 1n these plants, therefore, a long pipe or conduit extended from the air drying apparatus to the blowing engines; and it was not recognized that any disadvantage'resulted. I have found, however, that this long pipe catises a considerable variation in the weight ofthe air fed to the blowing engines. "ilhese pipes or conduits 75 have been made of comparatively tliin,sli'cet iron or steel, and as theyT are subjecteditothe heating rays ofthe sun by day and tonair of a cooler temperature at night, the air passing through them reached the blowing engine. at varying temperatures. and consequently ifai'ying weights per unit of volume. The amount of variation has varied according to atmospheric conditions, the length of the conduit pipe extending -froin the air .85 drying apparatus ofthe blowing engines, and the extent of its exposure. As an example, it is found .that the temperature of the air may varyvduring the day, or from `day to day, from l0 to Q0 degrees Fahren- 90 heit; Vand al variation of Q0 degrees would represent a variation of substantially t per cent. in the weight of the air; or in a inodorn type of blast furnace, a variation of about 150 pounds per minute.

The aw materials of thel furnace are made` as uniform as possible but the air consumed per ton of iron is 50 per cent. greater by weight than the iaw material; and it is therefore important to deliver air to the fur- 100 nace which is uniform in weight, as well as in moisture content per unit of volume. The

variation in the weight of the air will increase or retardthe rapidity of combustion -ofthe fuel in the blast furnace, and tnlus cause a change in the fusion o rcombustion zone of the furnace. Such a change in this zone/often causes the furnace charge. to, stick or hang on the walls, and these hanging portions, when dislodged, cool off the furnace better uniformity in the .metallurgical'process by supplyingair of. substantially uniform temperature and 'therefore substanl. tially uniform weight, as well as of subf stantially uniform moisture-content, to the blowing engine, and hence to the furnace or metallurgical apparatus. In carrying out 'this discovery when air-drying apparatus 1s applied to `existing plants, where the Il'airdrying apparatus is remote. from the blowing engine, I jacket or otherwise protect the air conduit leading from the air-drying apparatus to the blowing engine, in order to ,preserve a substantially uniform temperature of the air therein, and thus'supply'air of substantially uniform weight, as well as substantially uniform moisture content, to the blowing engine.

In the drawings, 2 represents a portion of a refrigerating and air-drying apparatus, which may be constructed in accordance with my previous patents, or in any other desirable way, the function of this apparatus being to reduce the moisture vcontent of the air to a small and substantially uniform percentage. From this apparatus the dried air enters a pipe @whence it passes into the -air conduit el, leading lto the blowing engine. The vertical portion of this pipe or conduit ft is jacketed, for example as shown in Fig. .2. ln this figure 5 represents insulating material forming a acket around the pipe and spaced apart from the pipe to foi-'1n an annular air space 6 between the pipe and the jacket.

A ny horizontally extending portion of the pipe above ground is also preferably protected by a roof orshield 7, shown in-,Fig 3, this roof or shield being double with an air space between. it may be supported on the conduit itself by brackets 8. If the conduit is under ground, it is -preferably constructed as shown'in Fig. 4, 1n which 9 1s an outer wall, 10 the inner wall or conduit propone and -layer of insulating matgrial between the walls.-

senese t 'rte biwi'ag @f1-'gist Cylinders as@ repre..

sented at 12, 13 being the pipe leading from f the blowing engines to the blast furnace or point of use'.v From this point on no protection is needed, as 'the air has already been measured. I do not desire to limit myself to any'partic'ular' formof construction of conduits, as I consider myself rst to discover the importance of delivering a uniforme weight of air, as well as air having uniform moisture content, to the blowing engines which deliver it to the blast furnace or metallurgical apparatus. lThe advantages'of my invention willi be obvious to those using such apparatus. The regularity of working is improved, the shifting of the combustion zone in blast furnaces 8G largely prevented, and a more uniform grade of metal" is produced. v

Other means for preserving a substantially uniform temperaturem'ay be employed without 'de arting from my invention. By S5'4 the words .blast furnace or converter" I intend to 'cover metallurgical apparatus einploying an airblast under pressure.

I claim 1 .f/.l l. The. method of operating blast furna/les att.

o r converters, using an air blast consisti in reducingthe moisture content of the ai to a small and substantially uniform, 'pe

centage,.supplying the dried air at a subf stantially uniform temperature and weigtt content to a small and substantially uniform ercentage maintaining the air thus treated .Y

at a substantially uniform temperature as A 1t passes to the vblowing eng1nes,`and then forcing said air tothe blast furnace or converter.

4. In air supply apparatus for'blast furn'aces or converters, a refrigerating chamber, arranged to reduce the air'to a low and substantially uniform temperature and to a low and substantially uniform moisture content, a blowing engine between the refrigerating chamber and the blast furnace or converter, and aconduit connecting ,the refrigerating chamber andthe blowing engine and Zarranged to maintain a substantially uniform temperature of the air at the blowing engine.

5. The combination with a refrigerating chamber and a blowing engine, of a conduit tially uniform low molsture content is supuace or conyerter, and memlsfor insulating my hand. 0I' protectmg the cendult between the reingaonneeting the same, and a conduit extend plied to the blowing engine. l0 111g from the blowlng engme to e blast furln testunony whereof, l have hereunto set- JAMES eM/LEY.

eratng chambe and the blowing engine, lltuesses: yWhelleley au of a Substantlally umfo'm tenfgi M. S. REED,

`perzwbuieand Weight as well as of a substzm- EUGENE H. MmzPI-f. 

